Accepting Colleagues with Different Values

Values are core beliefs that affect our behavior and worldview. We tend to  choose friends with similar values, but at work it can be more complicated. Writing in Fast Company, Tomas Chamorro-Premuzik, PhD and Becky Frankiewicz, both leaders at Manpower Group, say, ”If you want to live in an inclusive world that harnesses the power of psychological diversity, then you have to learn to accept, tolerate, and perhaps even embrace those who don’t share your values.” 
 
Wondering how? The authors offer these tips:

• Choose to Learn: Think about the conversation as an opportunity to learn versus the need to defend—a dialogue, not a debate.
• Know that Seeking to Understand Doesn’t Mean Agreement: It’s okay to want to listen and learn and still hold onto your own beliefs and values.
• Embrace Curiosity and Patience: Curiosity seeks out understanding and acknowledges and often embraces difference. Emotion is unlikely to disappear from values conversations, yet acknowledging it and choosing to lead with curiosity keeps communication lines open.
• Stay Active in the Conversation: By staying in the dialogue, you demonstrate respect, even if there is absolutely no agreement. Wanting to be heard is a value we all desire, yet it requires reciprocal listening and staying engaged. 

 
Do you have co-workers who have values divergent from yours? How do you dialogue? To join the conversation, click "comments"​ above.

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